Alongside these the Council of the European Union (also known as the Council of Ministers or simply "the Council") containing 28 national ministers, one of each nation, rotates its presidency by country. This presidency is held by a country not person; meetings are chaired by the minister from the country holding the presidency (depending on the topic, or "configuration"), except for the Foreign Affairs Council (one so-called "configuration" of the Council of the EU), which is usually chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.[1] The Presidency of the Council of the European Union has been held by Austria (and by extension Chancellor Sebastian Kurz) since 1 July 2018.

In protocol (ceremonial) terms, it is the President of the Parliament who comes first, as it is listed first in the treaties.[2] However, on the world stage, the principal representative of the EU is considered to be the President of the European Council,[3] but the President of the European Commission, as head of the executive branch of the European Union, takes part in the G7 and other international summits as well.[1]

All four offices have been described as the President of Europe, however, none can be seen to be analogous to the President of the United States (who is both head of state and head of government). Imperfect comparisons with other political system have attempted to explain the complex nature of the European institutions. As each institution has its own leader, it has been suggested that the terms "Speaker" of the European Parliament, "Governor" of the European Central Bank, "Chairman" of the Council of the European Union, "President" of the European Council and "Prime Commissioner" would give a clearer indication of their respective roles.[4]

During the height of the Commission President's powers in the late-1980s and 1990s, the Commission President was sometimes referred to as the Europe's Prime Minister[5][6] and the role of the President is similar to that of a national Prime Minister chairing a cabinet.[7][full citation needed] The formulation of titles is not without precedent in Europe; for comparison, the title for the Prime Minister of Spain in Spanish is the Presidente del Gobierno ("President of the Government"), not Prime Minister.[8][9]

The Presidents of each institution are chosen in a slightly different way;

The President of the European Parliament is elected from among MEPs every 2.5 years.[1]

The President of the European Council is elected by the leaders in the Council every 2.5 years.[1]

The President of the European Commission is officially appointed by the European Council, taking into account the latest Parliament elections and with Parliament's approval.[1] However, a stronger direct link between elections and the President is emerging.[10]

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates automatically between the governments of each member state.[1]

The president of the European Council is considered the principal representative of the EU internationally and diplomatically.[3] They are required to lead the Council, which works to set the EU's general political direction and promote compromise and consensus within the Council. They are appointed by the appropriate national leaders in the European Council.[1]

Prior to the Treaty of Lisbon, each member state (in turn) took the responsibilities of both the Presidency of the European Council and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union,the latter held by its Prime Minister or President[citation needed]. The press frequently summarised these responsibilities to the shorthand tag "EU Presidency" or "EU President", both for the country holding it or its political leader.[citation needed]

The president of the European Commission leads the Commission, the executive and cabinet of the European Union. The president, as part of this institution, is responsible for the political direction, logistics and implementation of European law and held accountable to both the European Parliament and Council of the European Union.[1] They are also required to make a State of the Union address to the European Parliament, modelled after the United States.[11]

The role gives the holder the right to allocate portfolios to, dismiss and reshuffle European Commissioners and direct the Commission's civil service. The president is nominated by the European Council and appointed by the European Parliament.[1] It is customary that the European Council uses the result of the last European elections to guide their nomination.

The president of the European Parliament ensures proper parliamentary procedure is followed and is responsible for representing the Parliament in both legal and diplomatic settings. The president must also give final assent to the EU budget.[1]